Sliver
by 0Solar-Storm0
Summary: On the human-less planet of Maistral, the world-spanning nation of Archotis is under attack from the remnants of the Nokteroth Empire that it conquered long ago. Meanwhile, an ancient threat is reawakened, threatening to wipe all others out of history
1. Prologue

**Introduction**

Sliver takes place in the world of Maistral, dominated by a single continent of Solumus. No humans exist in the world, and Pokemon take their place as civilized peoples. The story focuses on a conflict between two warring factions, the Archotis Republic and the Redeemers of Nokteroth, and a species of creature known as Slivers.

First, a little history to help put the story into context.

----------------

In the Great Unification five hundred years ago, when the Nine Kingdoms of Solumus were unified by Emperor Terxes the Third, the world-spanning Nokteroth Empire was born. For four centuries it prospered, spreading its culture and the will of the Emperor across mountains and rivers, successfully defending against the barbaric tribes from regions uninhabitable to most Pokemon types. But as with all great empires, complacency and corruption eventually brought the nation down from within. When the Emperor himself was assassinated by unknown elements and left the throne heirless, the empire descended into civil war...

It was during this time that the Archotis Republic, a former colony that had declared its independence from the Empire some years prior, struck. Technologically superior to its bloated former master, Archotis managed to subdue the warring provinces and lay claim to all the land formerly under possession of the now-deceased Nokteroth Empire.

Of course, not everyone accepted their new government. Rebellious warlords on the fringes of the newly-enlarged republic were brought under the banner of a single enigmatic Alakazam, by the name of Eleducis Animum. Forty years after the fall of Nokteroth, these "Redeemers" struck back at Archotis, starting the Archotis Civil War.

After ten long years of fighting, the rebels were finally subdued. Eleducis was missing, presumed dead. But to the surprise of all, Nokteroth's AI, PorygonQ, that they had been using as a command-and-control system, suddenly went rogue. Seemingly from nowhere, PorygonQ raised an army of drones and cyborgs. Only with the combined strength of Archotis and the knowledge of what remained of Nokteroth did the living Pokemon triumph in what would become known as the "Q Crisis".

Since that time, fifty years have passed again. Archotis has grown bloated and complacent. And Nokteroth is ready to strike again.

**Prologue**

Koron looked down into the black abyss and felt genuine terror clutching at his heart.

The air rising from the chasm was cold and stale. It smelled of water and limestone. A world lay underneath his feet, a world that had been untouched for at least thousands of years. The recent earthquake had changed that. Now this world was venting its atmosphere into the skies above through that gaping crack in the earth.

The frigid wind chewed at his skin, whistling through the flashlight-carrying helmet. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, feeling the snow crunch beneath him as he did. He looked out towards the distance. Around him, the land fell away in all directions, revealing a magnificent white carpet that extended as far as the eye could see. From the vantage point on the top of the mountain, he could see all the way to the crescent of glistening sapphire blue ocean just below the horizon.

Looking back at the rift, Koron tried to work up his courage. "Cmon, Koron," he muttered quietly to himself. "You came two thousand miles for this. You going to let a little cliff stop you?"

"I thought Gallade were supposed to be brave." A large Flygon, wearing several layers of blue clothing, blew past Koron and landed on the other side of the chasm, smirking happily. "Fear of heights doesn't become you, Koron."

Koron growled and made a rude hand gesture towards the green insect-dragon. "You wouldn't understand, Aerea," he snarled. "You can fly."

Aerea titled her head forward in acknowledgement. "Still, it's fun to see you squirm whenever put on something taller than you." Koron stuck out his tongue at her. "Haven't we grown past these childish actions yet?"

Rolling his eyes, Koron grabbed his belt and shook it a little, making sure it was snug and secure, then, gave the anchor around which the rope was tied one last check. Though an extremely athletic Pokemon by nature, years of having no more exercise than walking from one desk to another had left him unsure of his physical abilities. Better safe than sorry. Or so he told himself.

"You know, I could just carry you down," Aerea suggested for the umpteenth time.

Koron responded the way as he had those umpteenth times before. "I still need to keep _some_ dignity."

And with that, he looked down into the darkness of the chasm one more time, then took the plunge.

Almost instantly the rope caught his weight, and he swung forward until his feet impacted the side of the chasm. Tugging at the rope, he slowly began his descent, rappelling down into the abyss. Darkness quickly enveloped him, with the crack above him the only symbol that the world still existed. Soon even that faded away into nothing more than an insignificant line. Koron soon decided to turn on the flashlight built into his helmet. The nothingness of the bare walls seemed to swallow up the circle of light it projected. The air gradually grew ever so slightly warmer as he descended into the depths of the earth. This deep down in the ground, the temperature never changed, and that constant temperature was warmer than the frozen air above.

A beam of light crossed Koron's path from above, blazing its way downwards, accompanied by the steady thrum of beating insect wings. Though he couldn't see her, Koron knew Aerea had just passed him. He felt a twinge of annoyance at her showing off. Aerea knew her ability to fly irked him greatly.

Finally Koron reached the bottom of the chasm. A tiny flare of orange beneath him let him know that Aerea was lighting the dark with some fire ability. He disconnected the rope from his belt and let go, falling several feet to land gracefully next to her.

"There's light ahead," Aerea murmured. In the silence of the cavern, her voice seemed unnaturally loud. The two archaeologists walked forward, each soft footstep seeming to echo endlessly off the black walls. A tiny golden shade seemed to be gracing the walls of the cavern. As they proceeded down through the tunnel, the light got brighter and brighter, until…

"Ow!" Koron exclaimed, using his hands to shield his eyes from the sudden explosion of light.

Aerea's eyes adjusted first. "Oh… my…"

Koron dropped his hands and opened his eyes. The light wasn't as strong as he had first thought—his eyes had simply been adjusted for near total darkness. But what he saw stole his breath away.

He stood on the shore of a massive underground lake. The water, smooth as silk, glittered like a massive black diamond. He looked up to the source of light—golden beams of sunlight were streaming through a series of small holes and cracks in the roof of the cave, swaying back and forth, tracing paths across the water's plane. They reflected off the surface, transforming it into shimmering sheets that seemed to dance in patterns beyond the three dimensions Koron was familiar with. It scarcely looked like water; more like some kind of drink for the gods.

But what caught his attention the most was in the center of the lake.

"… Arceus…"

A great structure stood in the water, an ancient relic of some long-forgotten civilization. Two arches enshrined a massive cylinder capped with a dark hemisphere, giving a vague resemblance to an insect's mandibles. The sunlight reflected off the water's surface played against the dark bluish-gray material of which the building was created, making it seem to ripple and move, as though the edifice were no mere built thing, but alive in its own right, dancing and playing with only the lake as its partner.

For what seemed like an eternity the two archaeologists stood there, gazing out at what they had discovered. Koron glanced at Aerea. Even through the red eye covers, the sparkling of wonder in those glassy orbs was apparent. She noticed his gaze, and ended the moment with a thought.

"The seismics weren't wrong," she murmured.

Koron nodded dumbly, then seemed to exit a hypnotic daze. "It's beautiful." Suddenly, his left brain kicked back in, the side that had determined his career as an archaeologist. "How deep is this lake? We know the tower descends past our scanner's range, but is the entire bottom of the tower submerged?"

Aerea cocked her head to one side in an "I don't know" expression. She stepped forward and brushed the water with a claw. The ripple traveled across the surface and quickly vanished from view.

"It's very cold," she said, turning around to face Koron. "I don't think it would be a good idea for you to swim across." She looked out at the temple again. "Especially as it's so far away."

Koron looked down at his feet and sighed. "Guess my attempt at dignity preservation was fruitless after all."

A light smile graced Aerea's face. "Oh, don't worry. We can keep this between the two of us."

Grumbling nonetheless, Koron mounted his best friend's back. Lifted by the steady thrumming of the Flygon's wings, the two sped out over the water. He looked down and saw their reflections in the water. To Koron's eyes, it seemed they weren't mere images of reflected light, but themselves from a parallel universe, viewed from a kind of veil.

Aerea closed in on the structure and alighted on the top of the hemisphere. Koron hopped off and stared off into the direction from which they had come. There was not sign of the shoreline there. From here, it seemed that the underground lake extended into infinity in all directions. The temple was a little universe all its own, suspended in a sea of infinity.

He sensed his partner was thinking much the same thing. "Come on," he murmured to her, and turned around to examine the hemisphere. "Let's find a way in."

They spent a good twenty minutes trying to find an entrance into the edifice, with Aerea zooming around, examining the structure at every angle. The building was constructed out of a material that seemed both stone and metal. It was cold to the touch and shone softly in a way that suggested metal, but possessed a heavy dexterous quality that felt like stone. Finally, Koron discovered a tiny crack in the top of the hemisphere that expanded when pushed.

"Aerea! Get up here and help me!"

Together, the two of them pushed the crack into an opening three meters wide and two across, shaped like an eye. The opening was a marvel; the material did not pop out as a large slab or slide away to any visible location, but it simply melted away into nowhere.

"How's it doing that?" Aerea wondered.

Koron ground his teeth in thought. "It must be compressible," he finally conjectured. "Like a sponge… you can squeeze it."

Yet it still seemed so strange for what appeared to be a heavy, solid material to compress. This curiosity aroused his interest even more, and he resolved to bring some rock-sampling equipment next time, and take a sample of it back. For now, however, it was time to descend into the structure.

Aerea went first, crawling through the eye-shaped hole with hands and feet, flattening her wings against her body in order to fit through the opening. After she was through, Koron peeked through the hole. Aerea was standing on the bottom of whatever room she had descended into, and looking back up at him. "I think you can make the jump," she called.

Alright, Koron thought to himself, and with an acrobat's precision, jumped feet-first through the hole. The drop down was two seconds of terror before he hit the ground, bending both knees to absorb the impact and rolling several feet forwards before finally coming to a stop.

"Ah," he said after getting back up and dusting himself off. "Haven't done that in a long time."

Aerea smiled. "It would be quite pathetic if you couldn't." She always loved making fun of Koron's propensity for sedentary life.

Examining the room they had descended into, their head flashlights cast dull yellow circles onto the walls. The room was simply the interior of the dome, about the size of a large cafeteria, completely empty, the walls plain and unadorned. There was another hole in the center of the room. A single ray of sunshine descended down through a tiny hole in the side of the wall…

"Wait," Koron said. "What's that over there?"

The two archaeologists approached the spot where the sunbeam touched the floor. Except it wasn't touching the floor. There was something in the way.

It was a corpse, a desecrated shell of an animal that had long since passed away eons ago, slumped against the wall. The creature, slightly smaller than the green insect-dragon at his side, resembled no Pokemon Koron had ever heard of before. A thin tail, curled around itself, leading up to a sickle-like head that pointed downwards towards the creature's chest. Two scythe-like arms opened to either side, resting against the floor. A pair of slit-like eyes were the only facial features. Spiny protrusions erupted from the back, and little branch-like structures covered the body. But there was something even more incredible about the creature…

"Am I imagining it, or is that a sliver…" Koron didn't finish the sentence, but instead pointed to a tiny slice of green at the base of the tail. From that shard of green, a little bud grew upwards, and ended in a miniscule leaf, glistening in the solitary sunbeam.

"It's alive," Aerea exclaimed, peering down so close at the leaf that her eye cover was mere millimeters from touching it.

Koron looked on in amazement. "What are we going to call it?" he finally asked, gesturing towards the creature's body.

"I thought you had already named it," Aerea replied, shifting her weight back to a normal standing position.

"Huh?" Koron raised an eyebrow at her.

Aerea pressed her lips together and drew her mouth back into a tiny smile.

"Sliver."


	2. Chapter 1: Black Lightning

**Part 1: Rebirth**

**Chapter 1: Black Lightning**

Corusco. Capital of Archotis. Home to some of the tallest skyscrapers on the planet, glittering in first light of dawn like enormous gemstones. The buildings practically glowed with amber brilliance. The Pokemon walked along the streets, content. They didn't have to worry about where their next meal would come from. They didn't have to worry about surviving harsh winters, or dying of diseases that modern medicine had no trouble curing. Life was good.

A Misdreavus, little more than a wisp of shadow hanging in the air, looked down from the rooftop of the radio station. She hated them. What kind of "democracy" allowed their elite to have so much wealth, while Pokemon thousands of miles away were starving to death?

"Hey, Muffie, stop daydreaming and cut this wire already!"

The Misdreavus looked back up. Floating near the metal-frame radio tower was a Haunter, his purple outline barely visible against the still-dark sky. "I know this is all really new, but we have a mission to do," he murmured.

"Coming," Muffie responded, and floated up to her friend and partner. He was holding the main cable to the antennae at the top of the tower. "You ready?"

The Haunter nodded, and moved next to a box, duct taped onto one of the tower's metal beams. "Whenever you are."

Muffie slashed at the cable with an Aerial Ace, cutting the wires cleanly apart. In one swift motion, the Haunter sprung to the cable, his hands grasping for the wires inside.

"Red to red, blue to blue, green to green," he muttered to himself, connecting the sliced wires to ones dangling from the nearby box. "There." Satisfied with his job, he backed up and checked a watch. "Shouldn't have been more than a few seconds' break. Hopefully they won't care to check what went wrong."

Muffie nodded, her entire body rolling into the gesture. The Haunter pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Team D is ready," he reported.

"Excellent," the voice on the other end responded. "Soon it will be time to take his prophecy to the airwaves."

The rain came down in sheets, like a million little drummers, casting everything into shades of gray, perforated by the streaks of random noise. It was as though Arceus had taken a giant bucket and poured it over the city.

As he peeked out his head from behind the building he was calling shelter, Lieutenant Tain Miltis couldn't see how _anyone_ could target in this kind of weather.

_Bang._ And yet, someone obviously could. The sound of a bullet striking the concrete not three feet behind him sent his head back behind the safety of the brick wall. Tain repressed his automatic instinct to open up the flame on his back, characteristic of all Typhlosion. It would only make him an easier target.

"I'm pinned down on 8th street, between the Lunaplex and the apartment building," he muttered into the communicator built into his helmet. "Sniper in the third floor of the white building."

A squeaky voice complained in annoying tones. "How are we supposed to find anything in this?"

"Same way we find it in anything else," Tain replied. "Bad luck and swearing."

A few chuckles came in over the comm. unit. Cradling his rifle, Tain peeked out from behind the building again. _Well, this won't do,_ he thought. _My armor_should_be able to take a hit or two…_Deciding to take a chance, he ducked back behind, attaching his rifle to a belt on his back, then suddenly burst out onto the street, running on all fours. Another bullet hit the ground in front of him, knocking a small chip out of the cement. As soon as he could, he slid into another alleyway, safely under cover again.

_One block closer_, he thought. _One more to go._ He wondered when the rest of his team might be getting here.

Sounds of gunfire came over the communicator. "There's the bad luck. Where's the swearing?" someone cracked.

"Yuna's not here today," someone else replied.

"Think I see you, Lieutenant." The gray silhouette of a Cacturne slowly emerged from the other alleyway entrance. "Yeah, that's you, sir."

"Good to see you, soldier," Tain replied, glancing over his subordinate. This Cacturne was dressed in only a full-face helmet and bullet-proof clothing, unlike his own full-body hard armor, with only a slit on his back for the flame on his back. One of the perks of being a commando. "Where's the rest of your squad?"

"Separated, sir," the Cacturne replied. "We were dispersed into scout units like you said. I just found you first."

"Ah. You ready to go in?" Tain jerked his head at the building.

Though his face was hidden by the helmet, the Cacturne's surprise could be read from the way he tilted his head at the question. "I thought we were going to wait for the others, sir."

"We were, but unless more people arrive soon, we don't have a choice. There's not much time left." Tain took his rifle back out and gestured with it to a pouch at the Cacturne's waist. "You got any flash-bangs?"

"Yes sir." The cactus-Pokemon took out one of the cylindrical explosive devices in question. "What's the plan, sir?"

"We'll storm the building, like in the movies." Tain's expression behind the helmet was one of smug confidence. "I'll break down the door, and you toss that flash-bang in. We'll move in from there, depending on what we find inside."

The Cacturne nodded. "Yes sir."

Two loud bangs resounded from the street, followed by some screams over the radio. "Damn, is that the newbie?" someone asked.

Tain's smug expression fell away. "What's going on out there?" he barked into the communicator.

A gruff voice replied. "Squad Six. Two of us just got taken out by sniper fire from the apartment building while trying to approach you, sir. 'fraid we're not going to be able to get to you anytime soon. I can see why that Wartortle's been braggin'."

Tain growled. "Well, looks like we're going to have to go with Plan A after all. If we wait any longer they'll have fired the missile already."

"There's an alley that leads to the building, sir," the Cacturne said. After receiving a nod of approval, he led Tain onto a parallel street, on which they approached the terrorist-held structure. Pressing up against the wall of the building to avoid the line of the sight from the sniper in the window, they reached one of the access doors into the apartment building. Tain opened his mouth and spat out a Flamethrower. The blast of fire blew down the poorly-made wooden door. Right on cue, his cactus-Pokemon partner tossed in a black cylinder through the newly-made opening.

There was an incredibly loud _bang_ that left a ringing in his ears, but Tain reminded himself that it was nothing compared to what anyone inside the entrance of the building would have heard. Without a moment's pause, he leapt through the door. There was a single Hitmonlee stumbling against the wall of a stairwell. Tain raised his rifle and ended the creature's pain.

"Well, at least they're not so incompetent as to have left no guards," he remarked wryly to the Cacturne, kicking the dead Hitmonlee aside. He slightly regretted having wasted a flash-bang on only one guard, but shrugged and started climbing the stairs, up until the third floor, after which he exited into the main hallway.

Instantly there was the barking of a carbine on the far side. Tain felt something hit him on the chest and took a step back into the stairwell. No pain meant the armor had held up.

"I got another grenade," the Cacturne whispered. Tain nodded, and the plant-Pokemon tossed a shiny metallic object down the hall. There was a cry of "grenade!" and a boom capable of shattering unprotected eardrums.

Wasting no time, Tain rushed down the hall. There were two bodies on the ground, one groaning feebly. He hopped over them. Two more terrorists were getting back up on their feet—he shot the first then barrel-rolled to avoid a burst of bullets from the second, who was then dispatched by the Cacturne.

Tain glanced around to see if there was anyone left. "Where's the-"

_Bang._ The Cacturne fell to the ground. Tain glanced down the hallway. Standing at the door to the very staircase he had come through were three terrorists; a Wartortle, a Blaziken, and a Machoke, the last one carrying enough tools and parts to build a car right there in the hallway.

The Wartortle, looking ridiculous as he held a sniper rifle twice as long as he was tall, grinned maliciously. "Why hello, sir."

"Hi," Tain replied. "Umm… Celic Androsun, right?"

"Cenic," the turtle Pokemon growled.

"How many kills did you get today?"

"Six."

Tain whistled, impressed. "Not bad, for a rookie."

The water Pokemon growled. "We'll see who's 'not bad'." He peered through the rifle's scope and took deadly aim.

It was then that the Blaziken suddenly kicked Cenic in the back, sending the little turtle flying into the ceiling. The Machoke had only begun to register this betrayal before the traitor gunned him down. Tain finished off Cenic with a shot to the head and turned to the Blaziken.

"Waiting for the most dramatic moment, eh?" he cocked his head at him.

"You know it."

It was then a disembodied female voice announced from nowhere, **"Simulation Ended. Counterterrorists win."**

"… And it is with great honor that I announce the start of this year's Democratic Protectorate summit, at the dawn of the new millennium." The words from a Pidgeot, attired in formal clothing and standing on the floor at the center of the bowl-shaped Senate meeting room, were met with polite applause from all two hundred of the gathered Senators.

The DP summit was an annual meeting, whose purpose was for all Archotis federal senators to discuss the long-range goals of the Republic. Mostly, it was a brainstorm session towards broad ideas, with little in the way of specifics.

The Pidgeot smiled pleasantly, then leaned forward to speak into the microphone again. "And now, I would like to allow the honorable Senator Emanos to add a few words to commemorate this grand occasion."

"Thank you, Senator." The Pidgeot's position on the stand was exchanged with that of a large Empoleon. "And thank you, to all the senators of the Archotis Republic, for helping to facilitate this grand achievement." This again was met by polite clapping, which gradually faded away into silence. After a long pause, Emanos began again.

"This day marks the one hundredth and thirty second anniversary of our government. We have stood for over a century, against plague and death, disaster and war, economic hardship and natural transgressions. We have survived infighting, corruption, and poverty. We have conquered foreign invaders, malicious ideas, and those who would dare attack our sacred mandate. We triumphed against a tyrannical empire that wished to bend our people to its will. But we were stronger than them! We have faced all these threats, and conquered them all. And a century ago, we brought down that empire and gifted the torch of democracy to all!"

Applause again, louder this time, but again it did not last for long. Many of them were obviously bored, but the few words Emanos was delegated to give were more for the public than the politicians. Emanos smiled inwardly. Nice-sounding words like "freedom" and "democracy" would always get support. But did they really mean anything?

"However, I have ill news for our nation. Though strong we are, we did not get that way through our professed belief in equality. While many of us sit in luxurious felt armchairs, millions of people at the fringes of our nation live, and die, in poverty."

Expressions of smugness and satisfaction were replaced with bemused and resigned expressions. Oh great. Another "social welfare" liberalist speech. Yet there were several puzzled faces. Emanos was not known for his liberalism.

"Our greatest foe is that malignant ideology that plagues this world today. A system that oppresses the weak, strengthens the strong, strips the poor of what little they have and gives it to the wealthy. One hundred years ago, this system imposed upon the world its twisted version of 'freedom', enslaving generations of Pokemon. One hundred years ago, this system brought the world into darkness…"

A murmuring was building among the seats of the Senate, a low undertone of hundreds of Pokemon discussing what they were hearing. Emanos smiled—this time, the expression not confined only to his mind. They were only just beginning to realize what was happening.

"At the dawn of this new millennium, we must cleanse the world of this darkness! We need to put a bullet in the head of this corrupt philosophy! We are required to excise this oppressive cancer from our lands!"

Surprise, now. Shock. That a respected Senator of Archotis would use such language. Language calling for such insane, radical change. Words that implied revolution. Words that sounded like those of a Nokteron.

Emanos looked upon his congregation one last time, drinking in their fear, their shock, their anger. They had already heard his traitorous cries, but none could have imagined him saying it outright. Several of his supporters and "friends" were in the crowd, regarding him with distant eyes. Had he gone insane?

"I feel pity for you politicians. Your lack of foresight, your eyes always on the next election, always on your personal gain, have blinded you to what is stunningly obvious to any Pokemon with their eyes open. When an illegitimate government, that has seized power only by force, cannot even provide for those it conquered despite claiming to be founded upon equality, the time has come for change. For only with change, is there hope.

"Traitor!" someone shouted. Emanos's smile grew wider. An angry buzz was beginning to form inside the Senate building. There were shouts calling for his removal. The Senators were standing up, motioning as though to shoo him off the stage, shaking their heads in disgust.

"Goodbye. I hope that your deaths lift the curtains so that hope might shine through."

For the last time, Emanos looked out into the stunned faces of the Archotis Senate.

"Peace in unity. Unity in power."

And at that precise moment, a missile smashed through the ceiling of the Senate building and exploded, killing them all.


	3. Chapter 2: Symphony of Destruction

**Chapter 2: Symphony of Destruction**

The upper portion of the virtual-reality pods hissed open as the soldiers awoke from their machine-induced mass coma. Taistel sat up inside one of the coffin-like pods, arranged around several circular columns that were actually massive supercomputers, and blinked sleepily at the whitewashed wall.

"YOU! WHY'D YOU DO THAT?!"

_Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the pod…_ Taistel sighed and clambered out of the pod. Cenic, the little Wartortle was already in front of Fiore, who was still sitting in his pod, gazing complacently at the water Pokemon.

"I told you going in there would be a spy in your group…"

Cenic's anger seemed to suddenly vanish, replaced by shock. "But- I thought… Estov was-"

"I killed him then so you all would _think_ he was the traitor. But it was me all along." The Blaziken crossed his arms, still smiling contently as best his beak-mouth would allow.

Cenic growled. It was almost comical, watching the little turtle Pokemon confronting the much larger Fiore. "Still, you could've waited. I was just about to take out the Lieutenant," he muttered.

"Exactly why I had to act," Fiore replied calmly.

Cenic stared at the ground. Even to Taistel, who was unfamiliar with the soldier, it was apparent that he couldn't just take the loss. After several moments of contemplation, he gazed back up into the now stoic-looking Blaziken's face. "I challenge you to a duel."

Pokemon dueling was a relic of an era more concerned with honor and insult. It was not an official endorsed practice of the Archotis government; many regarded it as barbaric. However, in many circles, especially the military, it was common practice, and senior officials glanced over such events. Dueling helped to exercise out some of the restlessness that came with on-duty soldiers in times of peace. After all, serious injury rarely occurred. Natural Pokemon attacks weren't really meant to kill.

According to the _code duello_, Fiore, as the challenged party, had the right to decide where the duel should take place. This ended up being simply the concrete parking lot inside the military base, where the soldiers parked their tanks and other vehicles. At the moment large sections of it was empty, many of the vehicles taken out for annual maintenance. A large, flat area—perfect for a duel.

The two Pokemon met at the location, surrounded by a ring of interested onlookers. Taistel was observing quietly from the roof of the barracks.

"Rules?" Cenic asked, already in a battle stance with his legs spread apart, leaning forward with arms facing towards his opponent. Again, as the challenged party, Fiore had the right to make the rules.

"No weapons. No environment-altering moves. The fight stops when one of us surrenders or is unable to continue."

"Agreed."

A Floatzel stepped forward with his hand raised between the two fighters. "In three, two, one, GO!"

Cenic jumped into the air and withdrew into his shell, spinning, unleashing twisting streams of high-pressure water at Fiore, who slid to the side. As Cenic whirled past him, Fiore swung around his leg for a kick-

The outcome of that attack, Taistel would never know, for his attention was suddenly diverted by a tremendous, distant _BOOM_ coming from the north, his triangular head snapping in its direction reflexively. There were secondary booms, the sounds of breaking concrete and collapsing structure. A faint wisp of smoke began rising, the source obscured by other buildings in the way.

----------------------

"Look, Mr. President," the politician's voice came through over the phone, "I don't expect your assurance to get the bill passed. I just want you to promise you will try."

President Ackley put his elbow on the desk and propped his head upon his arm. After a large sigh, he replied to the lobbyist. "Alright, alright. I'll try. But I told you already, don't expect miracles. I don't have much influence in the Senate."

"I know," the phone replied. "But every bit helps." A dead tone drifted over the phone.

Putting down the phone and sighing, Ackley thought about his last statement. What an understatement. His influence in the Senate was almost nil. He had butted heads with them way too often. It was perhaps only a matter of time before they impeached him on trumped-up charges, like his predecessor. It didn't help that he was a Mr. Mime, with fixed expression of what a critic had called "perpetual stupidity".

"Mr. President?" The door to his office in the Presidential Palace opened, and an aide's head poked through. "There's something you might want to see on the TV, channel 31."

_Oh no_, Ackley thought._ This can't be good_. "Bring it up," he ordered.

The aide walked in and thumbed a remote, and a TV flipped down from the ceiling and turned on. The mushroom-shaped Senate building came into view. But it had an enormous hole in the roof, from which was streaming smoke and fire.

"What the-" Ackley began.

"I'm standing here in front of the Senate building," the reporter said, "where moments ago, an enormous explosion occurred inside. As of now no one is sure of whether this was an accident, or a terrorist attack, or even if there were any survivors."

_No survivors?_ Ackley thought. Oh god. There were no provisions in place to replace the entire Senate.

Abruptly the feed from the television stopped. For a few moments, static. Then something appeared that made Ackley grip the sides of his seat with white knuckles and clenched teeth.

Standing in a dark room with his back to the camera was an aged Alakazam. Slowly he turned around, and the reddish light of the room he was in cast a demonic look upon his face. As his face came into full, high-definition view, Ackley's last doubts were cast aside.

Eleducis was _alive_!

"I assure you," the by-now ancient Alakazam said, "that I am not a ghost. No more than the attack on the Senate was an accident."

"It was, rather, an _execution_. A decapitation of the head of a malignant body. It was the death of fear and the birth of hope. The time has come, for the blood of the oppressors to flow in great rivers and for justice to flow down like a mighty stream. One hundred years of tyranny and cruelty shall end. This is the dawn of a new day. The future… is Nokteroth."

The video returned to that of the reporter, still blabbering in front of the Senate.

_Impossible!_ There was no way this could be happening. The pressure in Ackley's jaw, result of the involuntary clenching, seemed ready to crush his teeth. His fingers dug into the fine upholstery of his chair.

"H-how can this be? He was hit by thousand pound bombs and buried under a hundred tons of concrete and steel! _How is he still __alive?!_"

The aide stared at the screen, then back at the President. "Sir, I suggest we evacuate."

-----------------

Three-star General Darrun was seated at his desk, dreaming contentedly about his wife and steak, his head buried in crossed arms on his desk, when the door to his office opened and his subordinate poked his head in.

"Sir, we need you in the situation room, immediately!" The subordinate vanished.

"Hrmmrrwhe?" Shaken out of his sleep, Darrun raised his head up from his desk and blinked stupidly at the door. Wiping a bit of drool from his face, the Lucario slowly got up from his desk and walked out, down the hallways of the Ashberger, Archotis military HQ, named after the general that had won the Second Archotis Revolution and brought forth the modern Archotis republic.

The situation room was a gargantuan, almost-cavern like room. On the far wall was displayed an enormous interactive map of the entire planet, glowing in green lines against a black background. Shapes and lines represented activity and troops. "What's going on?" Darrun mumbled sleepily to the subordinate that had called him out.

"Sir, there's been an attack on the Senate building. We're still not sure of there are any survivors. There's been a broadcast by Nokteroth, hacked into the large media companies, where Eleducis claimed responsibility-"

"WHAT?!" That last sentence was like a bucket of cold water. "Eleducis? Impossible! Even if he was alive, he'd be over 100 years old by now; there's no way he could lead Nokteroth!"

The subordinate nodded. "Yes, sir, we haven't ruled out the possibility of a fake video, but that doesn't change the fact that-"

"Sir!" A Tangela working at a station suddenly looked up. "Kivasti reports it's under a massive attack from Nokteroth!"

On the giant map, a red dot suddenly burst into existence where the city of Kivasti was.

"Sir, Zamigo reports an attack as well-"  
"12th Infantry Battalion in Armogos reports 3 Nokteroth armored division!"  
"Cimero is under heavy aerial bombing and paratroopers are dropping into the city!"  
"The 3rd Armor Battalion needs reinforcements near Fortry!"

The attack reports continued to roll in. As Darrun watched, red dots were flashing on the giant map all across Archotis. Nearly every major city, every major civilian resource was under attack.

"Sir, Fort Braq reports armor divisions already at the edges of Corusco."

Darrun had nothing. "… Arceus."

"Sir, I think we should evacuate," the subordinate said.

Darrun gazed into the subordinate's eyes. "It's too late for that."

-------------------

A piercing wail began all over the city, rising in pitch and tone until it was a noise that superseded all other sounds. The air raid sirens.

Sonic booms drew Taistel's attention in the other direction, towards the limits of the city. A massive wall of dust was rising in the east. Triangular black shapes in the sky roared past the base, and as they did, they left tiny black dots in their wake. And as the dots grew, a loud whistle, rising in pitch, descended from the skies…

"TAKE COVER!" he yelled, and dove off the roof of the barracks. Mere seconds later eardrum-shattering explosions burst forth from all directions. Enveloped in a curtain of fire and pelted by scraps obliterated steel and asphalt, Taistel pressed himself as close to the ground as he could. There was a sudden, piercing pain on the entire top right portion of the skull, and he blacked out.

The fire and raining debris passed, leaving only an enshrouding black smoke that cloaked everything. When Taistel finally came to, he was completely lost. All he could hear was a ringing in his ears that threatened to shake his mind to pieces, and there was nothing to see but the black smoke. He shakily crawled forward, feeling his way through until the smoke cleared enough for him to see.

When it did, Taistel suddenly wished it hadn't. Towering above the street, only a block away between skyscrapers, was a four-legged walker at least fifteen stories high. It looked like a Metagross with ridiculously long legs, and where the head would have been on a Metagross was mounted a pillar topped with a tall, fat head-like disk with a single glowing red circle.

And emblazoned on the side of the head was the emblem of Nokteroth.

The disk spun around, and the circle, like some mechanical eye, seemed to see Taistel crouched there. It began to glow brighter. Gripped by sudden premonition, Taistel stood up on all fours and began running for his life.

A moment later, a massive red beam of light tore apart the ground where he had been an instant earlier. The thought of turning around to look never even entered his mind. Finally he ducked behind jagged slabs of concrete raised up from the ground at odd angles.

_Lasers? When did they get lasers?_

For that matter, when did they get giant alien walkers? When did they get the resources to launch an attack on Corusco?

"Sir! You're alive!"

Taistel turned his head to the left. Kneeling in front of him was a Marshtomp, looking positively ridiculous with an oversized rifle. "Uhh… hello."

"The entire city's under attack, sir. The base is pretty much destroyed, we've been getting everyone we could up to the Ashberger. High Command has been screaming for reinforcements." Another massive laser beam pierced the ground a few hundred feet away. "I don't think there's anything we can do here, so what say we up and run, sir?"

Little of this initially registered with Taistel, who was still too dazed to process the information. Suddenly, his mind caught up with his body, and he shook his head to clear his brain. "Alright, let's go then."

-------------------

The scent of blood and burnt flesh filled Visodun's nostrils. The Electivire stepped out from his command crawler and surveyed the damage to the city gleefully. The distant thunder of explosions, coupled with the screams of Archotis civilians, made for a beautiful symphony.

A pair of R-17 Comet bombers flew overhead, their sonic booms threatening to shatter eardrums. Tanks rolled forward and APCs unloaded their soldiers. Everyone was eager to kill.

Visodun smiled. This wasn't a battle. This was a _slaughter. Eleducis will be pleased_, he thought.

"General," a voice behind him said.

Visodun turned around. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"First line forces have nearly reached the Presidential Palace. You should get the crawler moving again."

Visodun nodded. "In a minute. How are the forces attacking the Ashberger fairing?"

"Very well sir. They estimate breakthrough of the outer defenses within the hour. The Sentinels seem to be highly effective."

Visodun nodded again. Taking out the Ashberger, along with Archotis's best and brightest, would be assuring Nokteroth victory in the war.

He smiled. The Sentinel Walkers, Eleducis's ultimate expression of technological superiority over Archotis, were Nokteroth's mostly deadly weapons. Laser-wielding titans that towered over the other soldiers and vehicles like a child in the midst of his toys, the sight of them brought confidence to every Nokteroth soldier… and fear into the hearts of the enemy.

And if the enemy was afraid, half the battle was won already.


	4. Chapter 3: High Tide

**Chapter 3: High Tide**

A cloud of blood erupted in Taistel's face as he shot a Kecleon in the head, causing it to explode. Spitting bits of skull and brain out of his mouth, he raced to the window of the apartment and peered out.

There was that giant Nokteroth walker now, stomping past the window, its laser occasionally vaporizing portions of sidewalk and whatever happened to be standing there. Streaming along the road were enormous crowds of Nokteroth soldiers. They were dirty, mostly unarmored, with no uniformity in their equipment. Poorly trained, poorly equipped, but there were a _lot_ of them.

"Bring up the Javelin!" Taistel called. Fiore, carrying the heavy missile launcher on his shoulder, walked up to the window and took aim. The tube spit fire out the back, and a dark streak burst out and struck the walker in the side of the head. At the same time, Taistel opened fire on the Nokteroth troops below.

The walker didn't even seem to notice the blossom of fire on the side of its head. It continued raining down red beams of destruction upon the Archotis troops defending the Ashberger. "Damn," Taistel said. "Get away from the window!"

They rushed back. And not a moment too soon, for seconds later a pair of grenades flew through the window. They rushed up to the roof of the building. A Staravia and a Pidgeot were approaching, guns attached to where their wings met their bodies. Taistel opened his mouth and quickly spewed out an arc of fire, a blazing wall that forced the two birds to fly up to avoid it.

"Let's go!" The two Beedrills in Taistel's five-man squad picked up him and his Ninetales squadmate and flew back towards the Ashberger. Fiore followed closely, leaping across rooftops in a way Taistel only wished he could.

They landed in the Ashberger's plaza. In a single jump, Fiore leapt off the rooftop of the closest building. Using a column of fire from his beak to slow his fall, he landed gracefully and rolled a few feet before standing back up next to his squadmates.

"Show-off," Taistel muttered. Fiore shrugged.

The Ashberger was an architecturally boring rectangular building, built upon a large raised, concrete platform the size of a few city blocks, about ten meters tall. Concrete ramps were the only way to get up onto the plaza surrounding the Ashberger, unless you were an athletic or flying Pokemon. The plaza was crowded with Archotis soldiers, pouring bullets down the three different streets Nokteroth was attacking from. Taistel searched for the ranking field commander, a Tangela. After finding her standing underneath the giant statue of Jasu Ashberger in front of the building, he reported, "The walker doesn't appear to have taken significant damage."

"Damn it!" The Tangela swore. "What the hell is that thing made of?"

Taistel looked back to the walker. Standing between two buildings, it towered over everything that could move. A huge, hard-to-miss target, fire from tanks, missile launchers, and Pokemon attacks kept hitting it from multiple directions, yet it didn't seem to notice. And with it absorbing so much damage, that left the rest of the Nokteroth forces relatively scot-free.

"Permission to go up there again, ma'am."

The Tangela shook her head. "It's useless. We need more troops right here."

A beam from the walker tore apart the tank only a few meters away from them, and Taistel reflexively winced. At the same time, two Nokteroth tanks burst up one of the ramps, running over several Pokemon in the process. The turret of the closer one spun to face Taistel. Its gun rose ever so slightly. There was a flash of fire.

Taistel ducked to the ground and closed his eyes. When his expected death didn't come, he opened them again.

Hovering inches above his head was the gigantic marble head of Jasu Ashberger.

He looked around. A Kadabra was standing close by, his arms outstretched and eyes closed in concentration. His arms swung. The spoon in his hand glowed. And the giant head of Jasu Ashberger flew out towards the Nokteroth walker.

The entire battle seemed to pause, as everyone's eyes turned towards the flying head of Archotis's greatest military hero. The head arced up, reached the pinnacle of its path, then started coming down, heading straight for the eye of the walker…

A red beam lanced out from the walker and struck the head, disintegrating it. There was a collective groan from the Archotis side of the battlefield. The battle resumed in full.

"Get out to the west side, and hold that flank!" the Tangela barked. Taistel called what was left of his platoon. Twenty-six soldiers, meaning half of his platoon were dead. He briefly closed his eyes in remembrance, then opened them again. No time for grief.

_"FLAAAME TAAANK!"_

The entire western side of the Ashberger plaza turned in unison at the cry. Suddenly, like a demon out of hell, a gargantuan monster on treads, fuel tanks on its back like devil horns, burst out from a side street and up the ramp. A Machoke, carrying what was essentially a hand-held tank cannon, ran up and started firing. But the shells simply bounced off the flame tank's rounded armor. Suddenly, the nozzle of the tank opened, revealing a gaping, black maw, and spewed forth a wall of flame, hotter than any Pokemon, except perhaps the ancient legends, could ever produce.

The ragged cone of blue-white death washed over the Ashberger plaza. Concrete melted into pools of uniform, glassy material. Armor simply sloughed off, liquefying into spreading pools of glowing material. Bodies were instantly reduced to ashes. A poor soul who was unfortunate enough to have not died instantly ran past Taistel. Taistel drew back. Even to a fire-type like him, the flames were intense. He wished again for his armor, even though it wouldn't have helped in this situation. Rushing out of his destroyed base, he hadn't had time to put it on.

It was then he saw something rush forward into the flames. It was Aleya, his Ninetales friend. The girl was rushing into the cone of death, immune to the searing heat. Moments later, the tank detonated in a blinding explosion of heat and light that felt as though it were going to singe every last hair on Taistel's body. And bouncing out from the explosion, giddy and hyper, was Aleya.

Fiore was the first to speak. "I am so hot for you right now."

Aleya giggled.

Heavy stomping drew Taistel's attention back to the north side of the plaza. "I don't think now's the time to celebrate, guys."

For the first walker had sidestepped, and a second one was now looming up behind it.

--------------------

Ah, the Presidential Palace. With the Senate building now in ruins, this was the last great symbol of Archotis political authority. Even though the President himself had already evacuated, its capture by Nokteroth would be a great blow to Archotis morale, and a symbol that all could point to and declare that Redemption had truly come.

As such, Visodun was personally commanding the assault on the Presidential Palace. No Sentinels at his disposal here—Eleducis had precious few of the walkers, and they had to be used sparingly. The Ashberger was the greater priority, for crushing it would destroy the best and brightest of Archotis high command. Visodun, however, knew the people would greater appreciate the one who brought them the symbol of Archotis's political power, rather than something of _practical_ importance.

Archotis knew this as well, as so were defending their capital fiercely. Holed up in the building surrounding the Palace, the only way to get to the Palace was to go in and flush the cowards out. However, their numbers were less strong than at the Ashberger. As Nokteroth militia kept pouring into the area, the resistance was slowly being eroded away by the force of sheer numbers.

A shell exploded above the Palace. "Careful," Visodun reminded his tank commanders. "I prefer we capture the Palace, not destroy it."

"Alrighty," came the reply. Visodun curled his lip. Discipline was impossible to enforce among these troops, who were essentially the dregs of society. Many of his militiamen were teenagers. High-minded idealists with great dreams, but little sense of reality.

It was these kinds of Pokemon Nokteroth recruited. The fringes of the Archotis Republic, though even more populous than the wealthy core, were drowning in poverty. Some previously "civilized" Pokemon were now living "wild", hunting for food and sleeping under the stars, and not out of choice like some other wild Pokemon. Eleducis provided aid in the form of shelter, food, and medicine. Despite the war being purportedly fought for Pokemon like these, Visodun couldn't help but look at them with distaste when they responded to his orders with words like "alrighty".

The eastern flank of the Palace defenders was beginning to fail. "Move up another division to the eastern side," Visodun ordered. "Drop the 32nd Paratroopers in on those roofs. Have then fight their way down while our militia work their way up."

Orders given, Visodun leaned back in his seat on the command crawler. Nokteroth sported a curious mix of elite, high-technology soldiers with rag-tag militiamen. Case in point were the Sentinel walkers, and the groups of militia that swarmed around their feet. The 32nd were also a group of highly-trained stormtroopers. As Visodun watched, large flying types like Pidgeot, Swellow, and even a Tropius were dropping off black, armor-clad troopers onto rooftops.

Visodun frowned. Anti-air guns from the outskirts of Palace complex itself were harassing the 32nd. "Boom Six, fire on the AA batteries on the southwest corner of the Palace complex."

Explosions blossomed, and the AA guns fell silent. The paratroopers continued unmolested. There were a few flying Pokemon from Archotis, but being vastly outnumbered, most of them stayed on the ground.

"All clear," the commander of the 32nd reported.

A hole had opened in the eastern flank of the Palace. "Send in the tanks," Visodun ordered.

He leaned back in his seat and smiled. Soon, Nokteroth banners were flying from the turrets of the Presidential Palace.

-----------------------

After looking down at his tactical display inside the Ashberger again, General Darrun recommenced pacing inside the battle control room. _Not good, not good._

How the _hell_ had Nokteroth gotten so many troops so close to Corusco without them noticing? From underground? Attacking from tunnels was not unheard of, but it would have taken an unprecedented amount of digging to move this many troops. These soldiers kept streaming in, seemingly from nowhere. The only thing stopping them from attacking the city from all sides was the fact that the southeastern side of Corusco ended in sheer cliff, meeting the ocean.

The ocean. Darrun suddenly paused. Would the water Pokemon help? He shook his head and started pacing again. No, they wouldn't. The Continent and the Ocean were two different worlds, separate from each other. The sea Pokemon wouldn't dabble in their war.

"Sir, Fort Isofur has managed to beat back its attackers," a subordinate reported. Darrun stopped pacing and turned towards the lieutenant, his ears suddenly perking up. "They're responding to our call for aid! The 12th Armor Division, the 7th and 9th Infantry Divisions, and the 16th Airborne are on their way!"

"YES!" A cheer went up inside the Ashberger, but Darrun's face grew grim again. He turned back to the giant viewscreen, showing the battle commencing just outside, and shook his head. "They won't make it in time."

He sat down, watching the Nokteroth walkers tear through everything they laid eyes on. They couldn't be stopped with what they were doing now. But he had no reserves to call on, nor any fire support to even slow them down.

Darrun buried his head in his hands. If he gave the order, good Pokemon would die, and maybe for nothing. On the other hand, more would surely die if he didn't.

He reached for the radio.

--------------------------

Sergeant Harris Bendo ducked back into his tank as an Archotis missile streaked past him. The Sentinels pumped energy down the street. They were less like machines of war than gods, smiting all in their path.

A round bounced off the turret of his tank and zinged just over his head. He swore, and closed the top of the tank down, preventing anymore small arms fire from getting into his tank.

Inside the tank, he peered through his periscope, and his jaw dropped. "No way."

Archotis was _attacking._

-----------------------

"Group 2, focus on the front left leg of the closest walker! Group 3, hit the anti-personnel!"

Taistel rolled past a fallen chunk of building and opened fire into the massive Nokteroth force. An enormous amount of missile and tank fire blossomed on the walker's leg with enough force to destroy the Nokteroth tank next to it. The walker barely noticed. Lifting its leg, it took another slow, irrevocable step forward.

The Nokteroth soldiers seemed to hesitate, as though they couldn't believe their eyes. Archotis, outnumbered at least twenty to one, was _attacking_ their massive advance?

A truncated scream. Exploding flesh peppered Taistel from the right. Even with all this firepower directed towards that walker's leg, it still seemed utterly undisturbed.

"AHHH!" The scream came from the left, this time, right behind him. Taistel turned around. It was a Primeape engineer, its backpack bulging with explosives. Taistel turned forward again, caught another Nokteroth soldier in his sights, and pulled the trigger.

Wait a minute… explosives?

He looked back at the Primeape's corpse, then up at the walker's leg, then back at the corpse again. Sure, it was about as suicidal as suicides get. He didn't even have any armor on to increase his chances of survival. But hell, nothing else was working.

Taistel threw aside his gun, picked up the sack of explosives, and slung it over his back. The detonator was on the Primeape's belt, and he took both it and the belt. He was already familiar with standard-issue military explosives. Building demolition was standard training for an Archotis commando.

He opened his radio link. "Cover me."

He Quick-Attacked forward, as fast as his legs could carry him.

Straight into the massive advancing line of Nokteroth troops, away from his friends and comrades-in-arms. Straight into a wall of bullets, grenades, and attacks, and away from anyone that could help.

He jumped off a fallen chunk of concrete building and landed on the walker's leg. Scrambling for all his life was worth, he ran up the thick metal trunk, all the way to the top.

For just an instant, he paused, bullets and missiles streaking past his body, missing by mere centimeters. There. The joint between the walker's body and its left-back leg. Whatever was used to seal up the joints on the other legs had broken, and an opening had appeared in the leg. It was place that nobody could have hit, unless they were sitting like he was, right above the leg itself.

He leapt to the damaged leg. Slipping the backpack off, he timed his throw and tossed it into the opening. The moving opening of the joint slammed onto the sack like a mouth chomping on a piece of bread halfway. When it opened again, Taistel pushed it all the way in.

He jumped from the walker. Opening his mouth, he let loose with a furious Flamethrower to slow his fall. Still he hit the ground hard, and curled his body up into a ball, rolling to the other side of the street. A surprised Nokteroth Pikachu looked at him with wide eyes before Taistel kicked him hard enough to send him flying into a wall. He reached for the detonator and hit the button.

_BOOM._

He looked back up at the Nokteroth walker. A brilliant expanding sphere of light and flame engulfed the top part of the walker's left-rear leg. Like a tree that had just met with its last stroke of an axe, the leg shook a little, then toppled.

The battle simply paused, and everyone trained their eyes on the damaged walker

The walker stumbled and began to fall backwards. But then, its other rear leg stepped back onto another fallen chunk of building and stabilized itself.

"ARCEUS DAMN IT!" Taistel roared, and rolled forward, performing a Roll-Out into the leg.

It was perhaps, a sign from Arceus himself, that the tiny amount of momentum Taistel's attack contributed to the leg caused it to slip off the chunk of building.

The walker shook unsteadily for a moment. It paused, as if confused.

Then, it toppled like a tree, slamming into its compatriot, sending both of them crashing into a nearby building.

Silence.

And then, massive cheer rose up from the Archotis soldiers, while the Nokteroth troops looked on in dismay.

-----------------------

Visodun was considering what color to repaint the Presidential Palace. Definitely a shade of yellow, trimmed with black. He wanted something that would compliment his Electivire fur.

His radio beeped. He picked it up. "Yes?"

When the report came, he very nearly crushed the device in his hand. His voice was absolutely deadpan. "How."

"A Typhlosion planted explosives on one of the Sentinels' legs. It fell onto the other one."

His shock was palpable. "A Typhlosion?"

Then came a voice, cold and resonating with mechanical calculation, that froze Visodun's blood.

"I will _break_ him."

------------------

Taistel at the two fallen walkers, then back up in the sky that they had been dominating mere moments ago. His fatigue, his anger, his despair were all being lifted away by a feeling of elation. He had just saved the Ashberger. He had just saved Archotis.

A dark shape appeared, looking down from a roof of a building. Taistel squinted. It looked almost like a Froslass, but not quite. Tentacles extended from its waist. The color wasn't quite right. It was too… metallic.

As his eyes continued to adjust, focusing on this new sight, he saw it extend out one silvery arm. The sleeve underneath its hand began to glow.

There was a flash of light, and Taistel felt something propel his body up into the air. Blackness took him.


End file.
